20230512AVU to Staff 200 Attachment B.pdf

2022 Research Overview
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 1 of 86
Q1
January –March 2022
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Commissioned:
Voice of the Customer
Each day, two files are generated and automatically sent to MDC Research;a file of calls received
in the Call Center and a file of completed service jobs -both from the previous day.MDC randomly
selects customers to survey from each file and must complete 400 surveys per quarter to ac​hieve
an error margin of +/-5% at a 95% confidence level. Calls are made in as short of a timeframe as
possible to the customer's interaction with Avista.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 3 of 86
VoC: Overall Satisfaction
2022 2021
January 96%94%
February 96%94%
March 97%97%
“On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 means very unsatisfied and 4 means very satisfied, how would you
rate your overall satisfaction with the customer service that you received from Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 4 of 86
VoC: Overall Loyalty
2022 2021
January 92%94%
February 87%90%
March 96%96%
“Assume you were given a choice of energy providers, and they all charged the same rates that
you are now paying to Avista Utilities.What is the likelihood that you would stay with Avista
rather than switch to another energy provider?Please use a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "very
unlikely" and 4 meaning "very likely" that you would stay with avista. verify:how likely would
you be to stay with Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 5 of 86
Commissioned:
Brand Survey 2021*
This study tracks customer perceptions of the Avista brand over several key
metrics, including general associations, reputation, and likelihood to recommend.
*2021 results received in January 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 6 of 86
•This study tracks customer perceptions of the Avista brand over several key metrics, including general
associations, reputation, and likelihood to recommend
•Where applicable, significant differences are noted between customers in Idaho and Washington, as well as
notable trends from the previous year
Brand Survey 2021: Objectives and Methodology
•Customers were surveyed at random from Avista customer records, targeted for either phone or web administration
•Web outreach was optimized for both desktop/laptop and mobile administration
•In total, n=900 surveys were completed in November 2021 (n=499 web | n=401 phone)
Methodology
Objectives
•All respondents were screened to ensure they are Avista customers, age 18 and older, with responsibility for their
household’s budget and bills
•In addition, no respondent working as an employee of a telephone, cable, utility, or petroleum company, or a market
research firm, or living in a household with such an employee, was permitted to take the survey
•Data have been weighted to match previous years’ breakouts, and to ensure an equal sampling by state
•The total sample size of n=900 has a maximum sampling variability of +/-3.3% at the 95% confidence level; the sample
sizes of n=400 for each state have a maximum sampling variability of +/-4.6%
•The full dataset was coded into the existing code frame from previous years
•In 2019, some web questions were also adjusted to be self-administered in a truly unaided fashion
•In 2020, customer service experience questions were added to both phone and web surveysStaff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 7 of 86
Brand Survey 2021
•Majority of respondents (58%) have not contacted us in the last year
(or don’t recall)
•More than 8 in 10 who recall contact were satisfied (82%)
•Overall Satisfaction decreased from 85% (2020) to 82% (2021)
•78% say they would stay with us if provided with another option
•82% believe Avista’s reputation is positive
•NPS: 76% would likely recommend Avista to others
Link to Brand Survey DocumentStaff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 8 of 86
Brand Survey 2021
•Avista scored higher than Nordstrom and Les Schwab when asked what company sets the standard for online business or digital transactions (Amazon was the number one response)
•56% expect their utility to provide the same type of digital experience as [the company they chose for setting the standard…]
•Customers most frequently associate electricity and power with Avista
•91% believe Avista provides a valuable service in their everyday life
•When provided with two contrasting words, customers believe Avista to be:
•Friendly
•Environmentally responsible
•To have a good reputationStaff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 9 of 86
Commissioned:
Foresee Web Satisfaction Survey
ForeSee has been providing Avista with website survey services since 2006. Each month about 400 randomly
selected myavista.com customers complete a survey about their website experience, confidence in Avista and
general demographic questions. ForeSee consolidates these “voice of the customer” survey responses into
detailed reports that include verbatim customer comments, metrics on overall website satisfaction and
benchmarking against other utilities and industries.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 10 of 86
Foresee: Combined Web Satisfaction
2022 2021
January 84%75%*
February 80%81%
March 84%82%
Combined Website Satisfaction –both Desktop and Mobile.
*Lower score than normal due to the myavista.com outage that prevented customers from being able to report electric outages
during the January 2021 Windstorm.Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 11 of 86
Avista Advisors
This onl​ine panel is c​​omprised of a group of Avista customers who have
agreed to share their feedback through [up to] two short surveys each m​onth.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 12 of 86
Avista Advisor Demographics*
*Last updated: April 2022 | For the most recent demographics visit the Avista Advisor Avenue Page
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
65+55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 18-24
36%
27%
18%
13%
5%
0%
Age
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Male Female Other
49%49%
2%
Gender
0%20%40%60%80%
6 months to less than 1…
1 to 2 years
3 to 5 years
6 to 9 years
10 or more years
2%
5%
13%
12%
68%
Years as an Avista Customer
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Both Electric Gas
61%
20%19%
Service Type
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Washington Idaho Oregon
63%
25%
11%
Location
1%
3%
15%
81%
Credit Code
0 1 2 3
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 13 of 86
Avista Advisor: Recruitment
•January 2022: 2,124 [Gained 0, Lost 15]
•February 2022: 2,116 [Gained 0, Lost 8]
•March 2022: 2,108 [Gained 0, Lost 8]
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 14 of 86
Survey: Member Experience Evaluation 2022
Annual Member Experience Survey
Purpose: To gather input from customers about their experience as an Avista
Advisor.
Fielded: 1/18-2/1
Participants: 800
Key Findings (on next four slides)
•NPS [Net Promoter Score]
•Satisfaction
•Reasons for Satisfaction
•Reasons for Dissatisfaction
January 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 15 of 86
Survey: Member Experience Evaluation 2022
NPS [Net Promoter Score]
2022
January 2022
…compared to 2020
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 16 of 86
Survey: Member Experience Evaluation 2022
Satisfaction
2022
January 2022
…compared to 2020
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 17 of 86
Survey: Member Experience Evaluation 2022
Reasons for Satisfaction
Below is a list of features or benefits of being a member of the community. Please read through
the list and select those that, as a member, you feel satisfied with or have been fulfilling for you.
January 2022
2022 2020
Opportunities to express my views and opinions 66%67%
Learning about new things 58%56%
Finding out about new products or ideas 47%57%
I am getting what I expected out of this experience 37%34%
I am helping Avista succeed 34%28%
My opinion really matters to Avista 33%34%
I am influencing decisions being made 32%32%
Sense of belonging to this community 22%20%
I know what this community is about 21%24%
To access the content available to the community 21%23%
Interacting with other people in this community 9%10%
None of these 7%9%Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 18 of 86
Survey: Member Experience Evaluation 2022
Reasons for Dissatisfaction
The list below now includes just the features that you didn’t choose previously.
Please select the features that you feel dissatisfied with or are not fulfilling to you.
January 2022
2022 2020
None of these 54%48%
Interacting with other people in this community 21%23%
I am influencing decisions being made 18%21%
My opinion really matters to Avista 15%18%
Sense of belonging to this community 15%16%
I know what this community is about 10%12%
I am getting what I expected out of this experience 6%10%
Finding out about new products or ideas 7%8%
Learning about new things 6%8%
I am helping Avista succeed 8%8%
To access the content available to the community 5%7%
Opportunities to express my views and opinions 5%4%Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 19 of 86
Survey: Weatherization –Part III
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To gather customer thoughts and feedback on Avista’s Energy Use Guide.
Fielded: 2/9-2/16
Participants: 395
Key Findings
•70% of respondents say the amount of content, tips and information in the guide is just right
•99% say the guide includes valuable information
•49% would consider taking actions in their household based on information presented in this
guide –most common actions respondents considered:
•Unplug small appliances when not in use
•Lowering thermostat settings
•Hot water heater maintenance
•When asked what they’d change about the guide, most respondents suggested:
•Reducing the number of pages in the guide
•Splitting the guide into separate, smaller guides by topic or season
•Making the material searchable (electronically)
February 2022
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Survey: Card Sort Activity
Requested By: Catherine Mair
Purpose: To help us decide how to organize content on our website to
make navigation easier for customers.
Fielded: 2/25-3/4
Participants: 248
Key Findings
•Some links were:
•Moved to a new category
•Placed in multiple categories
•Renamed to be more customer friendly•Follow-up survey will be fielded in Q2 to finalize the footer*
March 2022
*Website Footer draft on following slide
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Survey: Card Sort Activity
March 2022
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Survey: Incentive Announcement
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To gather a list of customers who would like to opt into the Incentive
Program.
Fielded: 3/21-3/28
Participants: 822
Key Findings
•77% of respondents are more likely to take a survey if there is a chance of
winning a $25 housewarming gift certificate
•777 members opted into the Incentive Program*
March 2022
*Customers were asked to agree to have their name shared on the Member Hub if they win the random drawing
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 23 of 86
Survey: Customer-Guided Tree Removal
Requested By: Annie Gannon
Purpose: To gather customer input about a potential program that is designed to proactively
replace trees that could contact powerlines.
Fielded: 3/30-4/6
Participants: 510
Key Findings
•52% of respondents chose Tree Removal and Replacement Program as their top choice
program name
•The top three most appealing attributes associated with this program were:
•No cost to customers
•Customer in control of timing and scheduling
•Free tree planted after problem tree removed
•The top three reasons for wanting to participate were:
•Reduce risk of wildfire
•Increase electric reliability
•Less spring and fall cleanup / routine maintenance from Avista’s tree crews
March 2022
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Q2
April –June 2022
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Commissioned:
Voice of the Customer
Each day, two files are generated and automatically sent to MDC Research;a file of calls received
in the Call Center and a file of completed service jobs -both from the previous day.MDC randomly
selects customers to survey from each file and must complete 400 surveys per quarter to ac​hieve
an error margin of +/-5% at a 95% confidence level. Calls are made in as short of a timeframe as
possible to the customer's interaction with Avista.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 26 of 86
VoC: Overall Satisfaction
2022 2021
April 95%95%
May 95%93%
June 98%97%
“On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 means very unsatisfied and 4 means very satisfied, how would you
rate your overall satisfaction with the customer service that you received from Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 27 of 86
VoC: Overall Loyalty
2022 2021
April 93%95%
May 95%91%
June 92%95%
“Assume you were given a choice of energy providers, and they all charged the same rates that
you are now paying to Avista Utilities.What is the likelihood that you would stay with Avista
rather than switch to another energy provider?Please use a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "very
unlikely" and 4 meaning "very likely" that you would stay with avista. verify:how likely would
you be to stay with Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 28 of 86
Commissioned:
Foresee Web Satisfaction Survey
ForeSee has been providing Avista with website survey services since 2006. Each month about 400 randomly
selected myavista.com customers complete a survey about their website experience, confidence in Avista and
general demographic questions. ForeSee consolidates these “voice of the customer” survey responses into
detailed reports that include verbatim customer comments, metrics on overall website satisfaction and
benchmarking against other utilities and industries.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 29 of 86
Foresee: Combined Web Satisfaction
2022 2021
April 82.2%80.8%
May 83.1%83.9%
June 79.7%79.7%
Combined Website Satisfaction –both Desktop and Mobile.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 30 of 86
Commissioned:
IRP Clean Energy Research
This survey was fielded by MDC Research to determine willingness to pay for
the implementation of clean energy among Avista customers.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 31 of 86
Research Overview
Objectives
Determine willingness to pay for the implementation of clean energy
among Avista customers
Establish baseline of environmental concerns; perceived
responsibility of individuals, businesses, and Avista specifically
Understand customer tradeoffs between bill increases and
carbon emission goals
Explore perceptions associated with Avista should they invest in
carbon-neutral or carbon-free emissions
Gauge perceptions specific to natural gas preferences and
tradeoffs
Quantify differences by state, customer type, green perceptions,
and demographic factors
Methodology
Web survey with Avista customers.
•Customers from Washington, Idaho, and Oregon sourced randomly by
email
•Survey optimized for both desktop and mobile
•Conducted in April 2022
•Final sample size of n=1,100
Proportional representation of state and service type.
Respondents screened to ensure appropriate target
•Avista customer age 18+
•Has or shares household finance and utility bill responsibility
•Not employed by a utility company, or in media, advertising, or
market research firm
WA ID OR
52%29%20%
G GE E
25%47%29%
Report Interpretation
•All significant differences are reported at the 95% confidence level or higher. The total sample size of n=1,100 has a maximum sampling variability of +/-3.0%
at the 95% level.
•Some percentages may not add to 100% due to rounding
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 32 of 86
Analysis Approach
This study incorporates a conjoint exercise to force tradeoffs between various green initiatives and customer willingness to pay.
Respondents review various combinations of energy goals, timeframes for that goal, energy sources, and potential bill increases, and
select their “most preferred” from a series of options (including an option for “none” each time).
Subsequent analysis produces utility scores for each individual attribute, allowing us to calculate which combination has the broadest
appeal.
Energy Goal
Investing in renewables to achieve carbon neutrality
Providing 100% carbon-free power by only generating energy through clean
energy sources
Goal Timeframe
In the next year
In the next 5 years (by 2027)
In the next 10 years (by 2032)
In the next 25 years (by 2047)
Bill Increase
2% monthly increase
5% monthly increase
10% monthly increase
20% monthly increase
50% monthly increase
100% monthly increase
Energy Source
Sourced locally
Sourced regionally
Sourced from anywhere
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 33 of 86
Key Takeaways
When faced with tradeoffs, price is the prevailing factor. While
the majority of customers find importance in sourcing green
or local energy, they are only willing to pay so much. Anything
beyond a 10% monthly bill increase shows significant declines
in popularity.
If bill increases to invest in carbon-free or carbon-neutral
options are kept below 10%, the specific energy goal,
timeframe, local vs. regional source are less important.
Price is Important
Increases beyond 10% monthly still appeal to a certain subset
of customers, particularly those who place great importance
on “green,” and/or when the goal can be achieved within the
next 10 years.
Some customers see beyond price
Overall, roughly one in five do not find importance in being
“green”
When evaluating various green investment options, 17%
reject all, including more ambitious outcomes for just a 2%
increase
Three in ten say they would be likely to seek bill assistance
or consider moving to another state if bill were to increase
due to Avista investing in carbon-free or carbon-neutral
energy
Any increase to invest in “green” energy will
alienate some customers
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 34 of 86
Detailed Findings: Green Insights
Nearly 8 in 10 customers find the concept of being environmentally friendly or “green” to
be important.
This differs by state, area and gender but is consistent across age and income categories.
83%80%71%
Customers in urban areas are
significantly more likely than those in
rural areas to find the concept
important.
Women are significantly more
likely than men to find it
important.
85%73%
urban
84%
suburban
80%
rural
75%
Customers in Oregon and Washington
are significantly more likely than those
in Idaho to find the concept of “green”
to be important.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 35 of 86
Detailed Findings: Green Insights
Customers place similar importance on the “green” responsibility of themselves,
businesses, and utility companies.36
8%8%8%
12%13%12%
36%36%29%
42%40%49%
Personal Companies or Organizations Utility Companies Like
Avista
4 - Very
3 - Somewhat
2 - Not very
1 - Not at all
Unsure
78%
find the concept of
personally being
“green” important
77%
find it important for
companies they do business
with to be “green”
79%
find it important for
utility companies like
Avista to be “green”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 36 of 86
Detailed Findings: Green Insights
Personal importance to be “green” is driven by responsibility to protect the planet
For those believing it is not important to personally be green cost is the main reason
Why is it Important?Why is it NOT Important?
To protect our planet/environment (38%)
Good for the future/future generations (24%)
Responsibility/right thing to do/stewardship (16%)
To address climate change/global warming (13%)
Cost/it’s expensive (29%)
Not real/hoax/misinformation (25%)
“Green” is worse for the environment, not better (20%)
Politics/Political Agenda (17%)
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 37 of 86
Detailed Findings: Green Insights
Solar and wind are commonly associated with both renewable and clean energy
Top Sources Associated With…
91%
89%
73%
34%
29%
28%
20%
6%
3%
<1%
2%
1%
84%
81%
67%
20%
30%
31%
31%
3%
31%
0%
2%
4%
Solar
Wind
Hydroelectric
Biofuels
Nuclear energy
Hydrogen
Natural gas
Coal
Geothermal
Wood
Another energy source
None of these
Renewable Energy Clean Energy
Both solar and wind have somewhat higher
associations with being renewable than with
being clean
Biofuels are more closely associated with being renewable than with being clean
Natural gas and geothermal have closer associations with being clean than with being renewable
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 38 of 86
Detailed Findings: Green Insights
When considering potential utility company initiatives, customers place highest importance on generating
power from local and renewable resources
•Power from local resources as much as possible (87%)
•Power from renewable resources as much as possible (84%)
•Prioritize low costs for customers above renewable energy options (73%)
•Provide customers options to contribute towards lowering carbon emissions (72%)
•Achieve carbon neutrality in energy production by acquiring renewable power equal to energy use (67%)
•Achieve 100% carbon-free power by generating energy entirely from clean resources (65%)
•Offer customer options (rebates, charging stations, etc) for electric vehicles (61%)
•Invest in electric vehicles and/or vehicles with lower carbon emissions for their own fleet (60%)
•Generate power from as many resources as possible (58%)
Customer place near equal importance on Avista achieving carbon neutrality and on achieving 100%
carbon-free power
•67% find it important for utility companies like Avista to achieve carbon neutrality
•65% find it important for utility companies like Avista to achieve 100% carbon-free power
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 39 of 86
Detailed Findings: Conjoint Results Summary
Energy Goal
If all other factors are held consistent, providing 100% carbon-free energy vs. investing in carbon neutrality has almost no impact
Goal Timeframe
There is a drop-off in utility at the 25-year level; however, there is little differentiation between in the next year, five years, or ten
years when all other factors are held consistent
Bill Increase
If all other factors are held consistent, the monthly bill increase has the biggest impact; utility drops off considerably with more
than a 10% increase
It should be noted, however, that those placing high importance on being green demonstrate a willingness to pay beyond the 10%
mark
Energy Source
Though 87% find sourcing power locally to be important, ultimately there is little differentiation between local, regional, and
anywhere, when considering other factors along with locality
None
Overall, 17% of respondents said no to all options presented, indicating no willingness to pay for green investments
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 40 of 86
•To save the planet (21%)
•For a cleaner environment (19%)
•For cleaner air (16%)
Three in five customers say Avista should invest in carbon-neutral
energy even if it involves a ate increase for customers however
sentiment differs by income and area
•Urban (40%)
•Suburban (36%)
•Rural (29%)
Detailed Findings: Investment Support
•<$60K (28%)
•$60K+ (42%)
What is the main reason to invest?What is the main reason to NOT invest?
•Consumer costs/expensive (57%)
•Don’t believe in it/hoax/impossible (17%)
•Unnecessary/will not change anything (16%)
•Politics/political agenda (10%)
Supporters say the main reason Avista should invest in carbon-
neutral energy is to “save the planet” while the main reason to
not invest among detractors is “consumer cost.”
•67% find it important for utility companies like Avista to
achieve carbon neutrality
•65% find it important for utility companies like Avista to
achieve 100% carbon-free power
•To fight climate change (16%)
•Depends on cost effectiveness (16%)
•It’s the right thing to do (16%)
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 41 of 86
Detailed Findings: Investment Support
•Nearly 7 in 10 customers would be likely to “make at home-sacrifices” if their bill increased due to
Avista’s investment in carbon-neutral energy
•Just over a quarter indicate they’d seek bill assistance should rates rise due to Avista pursuing carbon-
neutral or carbon-free options; for over half, this would take a 10% increase or more
•Roughly a third indicate they’d consider moving to another state should rates rise; however, there is
uncertainty around what threshold of increase would drive this decision
•Over half of customers say their favorability would not be impacted if Avista does not achieve carbon
neutrality by 2027
•Nearly half say their favorability would not change if Avista does not achieve carbon free by 2045
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 42 of 86
Detailed Findings: Natural Gas Insights
•Nearly half of customers would not consider switching from natural gas to help reduce carbon
emissions
•Three quarters gas customers agree eliminating natural gas should be entirely voluntary
•Eliminating natural gas as an option should be entirely voluntary (74%)
•I don’t like the idea as an option because it removes my choice as a customer (71%)
•Eliminating natural gas as a fuel option makes me concerned about reliability (65%)
•I would be more likely to if some or all of the conversion costs were paid for (60%)
•Eliminating natural gas as an option makes me concerned about cooking (42%)
•Eliminating natural gas as an option should be regulated by state mandate (18%)
•Eliminating natural gas as an option should be regulated by federal mandate (18%)
Link to IRP Clean Energy Research DocumentStaff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 43 of 86
Avista Advisors
This onl​ine panel is c​​omprised of a group of Avista customers who have
agreed to share their feedback through [up to] two short surveys each m​onth.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 44 of 86
Avista Advisor Demographics*
*Last updated: July 2022 | For the most recent demographics visit the Avista Advisor Avenue Page
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Male Female Other
49%49%
2%
Gender
1%
3%
15%
81%
Credit Code
0 1 2 3Less than 6 months
6 months to less than 1 year
1 to 2 years
3 to 5 years
6 to 9 years
10 or more years
0%
2%
5%
13%
12%
68%
Years as an Avista Customer
65+55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 18-24
36%
27%
18%14%
5%
0%
Age
Both Electric Gas
62%
20%19%
Service Type
Washington Idaho Oregon
63%
26%
11%
Location
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 45 of 86
Avista Advisor: Recruitment
•April 2022: 2,101 [Gained 0, Lost 8]
•May 2022: 2,091 [Gained 1, Lost 11]
•June 2022: 2,080 [Gained 0, Lost 11]
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 46 of 86
Survey: Public Participation
Requested By: Tamara Bradley
Purpose: To gather input from customers as we plan for a cleaner energy
future.
Fielded: 4/13-4/20
Participants: 623
Key Findings
74% of respondents are interested (or even excited) about the opportunity to learn the ways Avista is supporting a cleaner
energy future.
When asked about the level of participation in which you’re interested, most respondents told us they would like to be informed
and/or consulted. Respondents were asked to choose all that apply:
•57% want to be informed –provided with information
•49% want to consult –provide feedback•29% want to be involved –work directly with Avista•24% want to collaborate –partner with Avista in each decision•5% want none of the above
April 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 47 of 86
Survey: Public Participation
Key Findings (continued)
88% prefer to learn about these opportunities via email and 53% prefer to provide their feedback via online surveys.
Most respondents don’t face any barriers to participate however for those who do, the most common barriers are:
•Economic –12%
•Health –11%
Most respondents’ friends and family don’t face any barriers to participate however for those who do, the most common barriers
are:
•Communication –16%
•Economic –15%
When asked why you’re interested in being involved in the
participation process, the most common responses were:
•Learning how the transition may impact me –71%
•Ability to comment about the issues –62%
•Understanding Avista’s clean energy goals –60%
April 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 48 of 86
Survey: Papa Murphy’s Partnership
Requested By: Scott Steele
Purpose: To gather customer thoughts about the annual Papa Murphy’s
coupon.
Fielded: 5/4-5/11
Participants: 585
Key Findings
•Only 17% of respondents had seen the coupon (or a similar coupon) in the past
•Of those who have received the coupon in the past, 30% had used it and 13% said not yet, but I plan to!
•50% said that yes, it reminds them to call before they dig and 36% said maybe
•Most felt neutral (42%) or positive (36%) about the coupon
•A small percent (4%) felt negative about the coupon for various reasons
May 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 49 of 86
Survey: Avista Website: Card Sort Activity –Part II
Requested By: Catherine Mair
Purpose: To help us decide how to organize content on our website to make
navigation easier for customers.
Fielded: 5/18-5/25
Participants: 539
Key Findings
74% of respondents agree that it makes sense to include some links in multiple areas –not knowing what that percentage would be
beforehand, we asked them to choose just one area for the following topics just in case:
•Get help paying your bill
-54% chose Your account
-46% chose Customer support
•New customer information
-52% chose Customer support
-38% chose Your account
-11% chose Moving
•Beware of scams
-55% chose Safety
-24% chose Customer support
-21% chose Community
May 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 50 of 86
Survey: Update Contact Preferences
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To gather customer direction in creating a year-at-a-glance list to give customers
visibility of what we send via email throughout the year (and give the option to opt out of certain
communications).
Fielded: 6/2-6/9
Participants: 617
Key Findings
72% of respondents are motivated to keep their contact information up to date because they don’t want to miss a bill or important information –
59% want to make sure they’re notified in case of an emergency.
When asked to choose all the categories you find important:
•90% Weather and Unplanned Outages
•72% Your Safety
•61% Programs and Services
•53% Monthly Connections Newsletter
•50% Company Updates
93% said Yes, descriptions for each category are helpful.
June 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 51 of 86
Survey: Scam Prevention
Requested By: David Vowels
Purpose: To better understand how our customers make decisions when they think they’re
being scammed.
Fielded: 6/15-6/22
Participants: 506
Key Findings
•86% of respondents were already aware of what to do/steps to take if you think someone is trying to scam you
•Most respondents think our current documents give enough information to understand what steps to take to avoid being scammed
and feel like Avista is trying to keep them safe
•Does this give you enough information to understand what steps you should take to avoid being scammed?
•One Sheet –99% said Yes, this is good information
•Brochure –93% said Yes, this is good information
•How does this information make you feel?
•One Sheet –90% said Like Avista is trying to keep me safe
•Brochure –87% said Like Avista is trying to keep me safe
•When asked where you expect to see/hear scam education information:
•86% -Email
•49% -News Media
•39% -Social Media
•33% -Other (mainly Direct Mail)
June 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 52 of 86
Survey Monkey
This online tool is used for both internal and external feedback
as needed.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 53 of 86
Survey: My Clean Energy 2022 [NPS]
Requested By: Stephanie Myers
Purpose: To hear what customers like about the program and where we can do
better.
Fielded: 4/13-4/27
Participants: 156
Key Findings
Net Promoter Score has increased each year –most likely
as a result of these changes:
•Refined messaging
•Repositioned product to simplify the value proposition
•Rebranded the program
•Introduced an environmental calculator to help customers quantify their impact
April 2022
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
2022 43
2021 31
2020 28
2019 4
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 54 of 86
Survey: Public Participation
Requested By: Tamara Bradley
Purpose: To hear from customers as we make changes to get us to our clean energy goals.
Fielded: 4/11-4/20
Participants: 7
Key Findings
•Most respondents are interested in learning the ways Avista is supporting a cleaner energy future
•71% -Inform: Avista provides you with information and assists with understanding
•71% -Consult: Avista obtains feedback from you
•57% -Collaborate: Avista partners with you in each decision
•43% -Involve: Avista works with you to understand and consider decisions
•Most respondents would prefer to learn about participation opportunities via email (71%)
•Most respondents would prefer to provide feedback to Avista via online surveys (71%)
•86% of respondents face no barriers to participation but when asked about their friends and family,
Communication (57%) and Health (43%) barriers were the most common
April 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 55 of 86
Survey: Budget Alerts 2022 [NPS]
Requested By: Matt Halloran
Purpose: To get feedback on customer experience with this feature in order to continue to
improve the services we offer and better understand our customers’ needs.
Fielded: 5/9-5/16
Participants: 135
Key Findings
•68% of respondents said Avista’s Budget Alerts helped them avoid bill related surprises
•58% said Avista’s Budget Alerts helped drive changes in behavior to reduce their energy use
•79% said the Bill Projections have been accurate enough to inform them when they’re trending higher than they’d like to be
•When asked what level of accuracy is needed to help inform decisions/affect their monthly budget…
•58% -within $10 of the actual end of month bill
•38% -within $20 of the actual end of month bill
•4% -within $5 of the actual end of month bill
May 2022
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
2022 29
2021 35Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 56 of 86
Q3
July –September 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 57 of 86
Commissioned:
Voice of the Customer
Each day, two files are generated and automatically sent to MDC Research;a file of calls received
in the Call Center and a file of completed service jobs -both from the previous day.MDC randomly
selects customers to survey from each file and must complete 400 surveys per quarter to ac​hieve
an error margin of +/-5% at a 95% confidence level. Calls are made in as short of a timeframe as
possible to the customer's interaction with Avista.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 58 of 86
VoC: Overall Satisfaction
2022 2021
July 98%95%
August 99%95%
September 99%95%
“On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 means very unsatisfied and 4 means very satisfied, how would you
rate your overall satisfaction with the customer service that you received from Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 59 of 86
VoC: Overall Loyalty
2022 2021
July 95%94%
August 96%94%
September 95%90%
“Assume you were given a choice of energy providers, and they all charged the same rates that
you are now paying to Avista Utilities.What is the likelihood that you would stay with Avista
rather than switch to another energy provider?Please use a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "very
unlikely" and 4 meaning "very likely" that you would stay with avista. verify:how likely would
you be to stay with Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 60 of 86
Commissioned:
Foresee Web Satisfaction Survey
ForeSee has been providing Avista with website survey services since 2006. Each month about 400 randomly
selected myavista.com customers complete a survey about their website experience, confidence in Avista and
general demographic questions. ForeSee consolidates these “voice of the customer” survey responses into
detailed reports that include verbatim customer comments, metrics on overall website satisfaction and
benchmarking against other utilities and industries.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 61 of 86
Foresee: Combined Web Satisfaction
2022 2021
July 80.5%83.6%
August 82.1%83.9%
September 83.7%81.0%
Combined Website Satisfaction –both Desktop and Mobile.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 62 of 86
Avista Advisors
This onl​ine panel is c​​omprised of a group of Avista customers who have
agreed to share their feedback through [up to] two short surveys each m​onth.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 63 of 86
Avista Advisor Demographics*
*Last updated: October 2022 | For the most recent demographics visit the Avista Advisor Avenue Page
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Male Female Other
49%49%
2%
Gender
Less than 6 months
6 months to less than 1 year
1 to 2 years
3 to 5 years
6 to 9 years
10 or more years
0%
2%
5%
13%
12%
68%
Years as an Avista Customer
65+55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 18-24
36%
27%
18%14%
5%
0%
Age
Both Electric Gas
62%
20%19%
Service Type
Washington Idaho Oregon
63%
25%
11%
Location
80%
15%
3%
1%
Credit Code
3 2 1 0
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 64 of 86
Avista Advisor: Recruitment
•July 2022: 2,076 [Gained 1, Lost 5]
•August 2022: 2,072 [Gained 0, Lost 4]
•September 2022: 2,067 [Gained 0, Lost 5]
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 65 of 86
Survey: High / Low / Average Tool
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To get an idea of customer awareness, use, and perceived
benefits of the High/Low/Average tool.
Fielded: 7/11-7/18
Participants: 469
Key Findings
Before this survey, only 28% of respondents were aware of Avista’s High/Low/Average tool
•18% have used the tool in the past
•21% tried it for the first time during the survey
•61% have never used it
82% of respondents think this tool is beneficial to customers –mainly to get an idea of monthly costs prior to
moving to a new address.
July 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 66 of 86
Survey: AutoPay
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To get an idea of why customers participate in optional programs like AutoPay, so we
know how to better promote and offer them.
Fielded: 8/2-8/9
Participants: 509
Key Findings
Of those who responded to the survey, 42% participate in Auto Pay –and 93% said they participate because it’s
convenient
•17% said if they weren’t on Auto Pay, they’d forget to pay their bill
•14% get rewards/perks from the payment type they use
Of those who do not participate in Auto Pay, 74% prefer more control over when their payment is made (this is the
category into which I fall)
•23% said they never forget to pay their bill
•7% get rewards/perks by paying a different way
•34% of those who do not participate said they may be interested in participating –many stating that they’d need an
incentive or discount in order to do so
August 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 67 of 86
Survey: Where do you get information about new products?
Requested By: Corporate Communications
Purpose: To get an idea of what customers pay attention to and where they may hear or see advertisements..
Fielded: 9/14-9/21
Participants: 540
Key Findings
Of those who responded to the survey, only 16% read the physical paper daily –another 8% read it occasionally•15% read the paper online daily –another 11% read it online occasionally •9% read both (physical and online)•21% don’t read the paper at all•20% get their news elsewhere (online sources, smart phone apps, social media, etc)
23% don’t use social media. Of those who do, 38% will pay attention to an eye-catching / interesting ad; another 38% ignore them and 82% say it makes a
difference if their friend or family member suggested the item or product.
36% listen to both classic and internet radio –of those who listen to internet radio, 40% pay extra to listen without ads•28% only listen to “classic” AM / FM radio•13% only listen to internet radio•23% don’t listen to the radio at all
48% watch both classic and streaming television –of those who watch streaming services, 42% pay extra to watch without ads•21% only watch “classic” television•24% only watch streaming services•7% don’t watch television at all
And finally, 74% of respondents notice billboards
September 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 68 of 86
Survey Monkey
This online tool is used for both internal and external feedback
as needed.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 69 of 86
Survey: Electric Vehicle Charging Program 2022 [NPS]
Requested By: Lisa Garrett
Purpose: To get participant thoughts on the program.
Fielded: 8/9-8/26
Participants:
Residential: 67
Commercial: 9
August 2022
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Residential Commercial
2022 91 67
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 70 of 86
Survey: Electric Vehicle Charging Program 2022 [NPS]
Key Findings –Residential
•Overall Satisfaction with the program
•82% Very Satisfied
•15% Satisfied
•3% Very Unsatisfied
•On average, 70% of respondents total miles driven are in their
electric vehicles
•Most respondents charge their vehicles during off-peak hours (or
both peak and off-peak)
•49% during off-peak hours
•48% during both peak and off-peak hours
•3% during peak hours
•Overall Satisfaction with Electric Vehicle workplace charging
•24% Very Satisfied
•9% Satisfied
•48% Neutral
•13% Unsatisfied
•6% Very Unsatisfied
August 2022
•Overall Satisfaction with public AC Level 2 charging availability
•10% Very Satisfied
•12% Satisfied
•52% Neutral
•18% Unsatisfied
•7% Very Unsatisfied
•Overall Satisfaction with public DC fast charging availability
•1% Very Satisfied
•10% Satisfied
•64% Neutral
•16% Unsatisfied
•7% Very Unsatisfied
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 71 of 86
Survey: Electric Vehicle Charging Program 2022 [NPS]
Key Findings –Commercial
•Overall Satisfaction with the program
•56% Very Satisfied
•22% Satisfied
•11% Neutral
•11% Very Unsatisfied
•All respondents either do not have a regular charging schedule or said the question wasn’t applicable
•44% during both peak and off-peak hours
•56% not applicable
•Most respondents have not asked their employees to charge personal vehicles during off-peak hours
•22% have asked their employees
•67% have not asked their employees
•11% not applicable
August 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 72 of 86
Survey: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) 2022
Requested By: Stephanie Myers
Purpose: To get participant thoughts on the program.
Fielded: 9/29-10/13
Participants: 105
Key Findings
•Participants prefer:
•Low-price energy over comfort (56%vs 44%)
•Reliability over low price energy (68%vs 32%) and comfort (77%vs 23%)
•Low carbon energy source over low-price energy (88%vs 13%), reliability (59%vs 41%) and
comfort (77% vs 23%)
September 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 73 of 86
Survey: Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) 2022
Key Findings –Value Statements
Participants were asked how strongly they agree with each value statement.
The table below reflects the top box answers (the percentage of respondents who
chose Totally Agree and Agree) for both Natural Gas and Renewable Natural Gas.
September 2022
Low-cost
energy
source
Reliable
energy
source
Heats faster
and more
evenly than
electric
High level of
heating /
cooling
comfort
Low carbon
energy
source
Abundant
resource
Natural Gas 64%78%65%77%38%48%
Renewable
Natural Gas 50%70%57%65%73%64%
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 74 of 86
Q4
October –December 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 75 of 86
Commissioned:
Voice of the Customer
Each day, two files are generated and automatically sent to MDC Research;a file of calls received
in the Call Center and a file of completed service jobs -both from the previous day.MDC randomly
selects customers to survey from each file and must complete 400 surveys per quarter to ac​hieve
an error margin of +/-5% at a 95% confidence level. Calls are made in as short of a timeframe as
possible to the customer's interaction with Avista.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 76 of 86
VoC: Overall Satisfaction
2022 2021
October 98%97%
November 98%98%
December 97%96%
“On a scale of 1 to 4 where 1 means very unsatisfied and 4 means very satisfied, how would you
rate your overall satisfaction with the customer service that you received from Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 77 of 86
VoC: Overall Loyalty
2022 2021
October 93%94%
November 95%96%
December 94%93%
“Assume you were given a choice of energy providers, and they all charged the same rates that
you are now paying to Avista Utilities.What is the likelihood that you would stay with Avista
rather than switch to another energy provider?Please use a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 meaning "very
unlikely" and 4 meaning "very likely" that you would stay with avista. verify:how likely would
you be to stay with Avista Utilities?”
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 78 of 86
Commissioned:
Foresee Web Satisfaction Survey
ForeSee has been providing Avista with website survey services since 2006. Each month about 400 randomly
selected myavista.com customers complete a survey about their website experience, confidence in Avista and
general demographic questions. ForeSee consolidates these “voice of the customer” survey responses into
detailed reports that include verbatim customer comments, metrics on overall website satisfaction and
benchmarking against other utilities and industries.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 79 of 86
Foresee: Combined Web Satisfaction
2022 2021
October 82%83%
November 82%85%
December 80%84%
Combined Website Satisfaction –both Desktop and Mobile.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 80 of 86
Avista Advisors
This onl​ine panel is c​​omprised of a group of Avista customers who have
agreed to share their feedback through [up to] two short surveys each m​onth.
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 81 of 86
Avista Advisor Demographics*
*Last updated: October 2022 | For the most recent demographics visit the Avista Advisor Avenue Page
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
Male Female Other
49%49%
2%
Gender
Less than 6 months
6 months to less than 1 year
1 to 2 years
3 to 5 years
6 to 9 years
10 or more years
0%
2%
5%
13%
12%
68%
Years as an Avista Customer
65+55-64 45-54 35-44 25-34 18-24
36%
27%
18%14%
5%
0%
Age
Both Electric Gas
62%
20%19%
Service Type
Washington Idaho Oregon
63%
25%
11%
Location
80%
15%
3%
1%
Credit Code
3 2 1 0
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 82 of 86
Avista Advisor: Recruitment
•October 2022: 2,048 [Gained 0, Lost 19]
•November 2022: 2,042 [Gained 0, Lost 6]
•December 2022: 2,042 [Gained 0, Lost 0]
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 83 of 86
Survey: Heating Season
Requested By: Kim Vollan
Purpose: To get customer thoughts on receiving their first heating season bill each
year.
Fielded: 10/3-10/10
Participants: 521
Key Findings
•Most respondents (98%) know and understand why bills are larger in the winter months –1% of respondents
said it doesn’t make sense to them
•31% said having more information would make a difference in how they feel when they get that first heating
season bill –54% said no, more information wouldn’t make a difference
•50% expect or anticipate a higher “heating season” bill
•When asked how they feel when the bill is received, 39% are indifferent because they expect the seasonal
increase
October 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 84 of 86
Survey: Avista Communication Preferences
Requested By: Tamara Bradley
Purpose: To understand how to engage customers more equitably in future programs and
initiatives.
Fielded: 10/17-10/24
Participants: 190 Avista Advisors | 7,406 Total
*This survey was sent to all customers
Key Findings
Most respondents prefer email, regardless of the topic:
•58% receive their bill via email
•88% receive news and updates via email
Regardless of the topic, respondents were more likely to be satisfied with current communications from Avista.
The numbers below reflect the percentage of customers satisfied with each topic:
•73% tips to save energy
•64% payment / bill assistance
•59% interruptions or changes in service
October 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 85 of 86
Survey: Avista Communication Preferences
Key Findings (continued)
When asked if they agree with the following statements:
•90% stated they know how to contact Avista if they’re
having a service issue
•79% know Avista shares useful energy-saving tips
•70% know that Avista informs them in advance of
utility rate changes
72% of respondents do not want to use social media to
receive Avista updates.
When asked if they would consider attending in-person
or virtual events hosted by Avista, 27% indicated that
they would.
October 2022
Staff_PR_200 Attachment B Page 86 of 86